Electrolytic cell structure



Aug. 14, 1923.

w. G. AALLAN "LECTROLYTIC CELL STRUCTURE Filed Sept. 2, 1920 m m m w 545151114415155 'rfv v Patented Aug. 14 1923...

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` ELECTROLYTIC CELL STRUCTURE.

Application led September 2, 1920. Serial No. 407,639.

To all whom t may concern:

Be. it known that I, WILLIAM G. ALLAN, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at rIoronto, county of- York, Province A 5 of Ontario, Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electrolytic Cell Structures; and I do `hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others Skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

, This inventionrelates to electrolytic cell structures; and it relates more particularly` though not exclusively, to electrolytic apparatus for production of hydrogen and oxygen from water.

' In certain types of electrolytic apparatus, the casing containing the electrodes and diaphragm or diaphragms is composed of 420 flanged members suitably assembled and held together to provide a container within which the electrolysis is carried on.- The present invention is'directed more particularly to means for holdin the aforesaid flanged members structural y assembled in such manner that the. component parts of the cell or generator structure can be read'- ily put together or taken apart with minimum inconvenience' and expenditure of @il labor, while at the same time the'parts of the assembled structure are held together edectively and are not subject to accidental' displacement or other objections.

In accordance with the present invenw tion, the cell frame or casingl members are provided with. Hanges which. cooperate in mating pairs, the-flangesof each such pair being secured' together by detachable clamping means extending around the outer edges m ofthe cooperating flanges. Such clamping means may assume various different forms, but in general may comprise a pair of clamping jaws or arms adapted to engage non-adjacent faces of cooperating flanges to press said flanges firmly toward-each other.

The invention also comprises the provision of anovel combination ofan electrode supporting plate with one or more flanged frame members to form a distinct unit capable of being assembled with other units of similaricharacter in `the construction of a complete generator unit.

These and other novel features and' advantages of the inventionwill 'be more apvwhich the invention may be embodied; and

Figure 4 is a view in elevation at right angles to Figure 3.

Referring to the drawmgs, 10 represents an electrode supporting or backing plate carrying active electrodes 11 on opposite sides thereof, which are mounted upon said plate and secured in spaced relation thereto bv means of stud devices 12 anchored to said plate and welded or otherwise suitably con vnected to the margins of the said electrodes.

In the construction shown in Fig. 1, the bipolar electrode structure thus constituted is clamped between the cooperating inwardly extending flanges '13o'f annular cell frame or casing members each having a body portion 14 and an outwardly extending flange 15. The outwardly extending flanges 15 cooperate in pairs to support pervious diaphragms. In this instance the diaphragme have rubberized margins 17, and a strip of thin sheet packing and insulating material 18 is folded around the edge of the diaphragm and prevents direct contact thereof with the adjacent faces of the flanges 15. A spacing gasket 19 of soft rub- 'ber or the like, lills theremaining space between the flanges 15 andvmost desirably projects somewhat` beyond their outer edges, as 'l shown. Said flanges 15 are' held tightly compressed against said gasket and the cov-- erededge of the diaphragm by means of a plurality of clamping devices 20 having tapered jaws 21 pressing against the non-adj acent faces ofsaid' Hanges but separated thereformin this instance by a sheet of packing and insulating material' 22 folded around the flange edges. The lll-shaped clamping members 20 are' made of metal that has a certain degree of resiliency, such as tempered steel for example` and in the best embodiment of the invention, the edges till liti@ tween. them.

staggered of the space between the arms 21 are almost but not quite parallel, the space narrowing slightly toward the rounded' ends of the arms. These clamps are adapted to be driven on over the upper edges of the cooperating flanges y 15, the arms 21 being slightly sprung apart in this operation and therefore firmly clamping the said flanges be- The clamps may be applied at intervals in the required number around the periphery of the cooperating flange pairs, and the' clamp devices of successive sets may be staggered as indicated in Fig. 2, this arrangement being essential where two pairs of clamping flanges are so closely adjacent, as shown at the left in Fig. 1, that the clamping devices would otherwise interfere. By means of an eye 23 provided in its outer end, each clamping device can be seized and withdrawn from operative position, when desired.

In the arrangement shown in Fig. 1, each bipolar electrodel has the marginal portion of its supporting plate 10 clamped between inwardly projecting lianges 13 of a pair of the annular frame members, as already pointed out; said plate being insulated by sheet packing and insulation 24 from said flanges and being secured firmly in position by means of a plurality of bolts 25 extending through the plate margin and the flanges, and insulated from said plate by a washer 26. The outer portion of the joint between the flanges 13 may be filled with any suitable luting material 27. It will be noted that this arrangement provides a unitary construction comprising the bipolar electrode with its backing plate, and a pair of annular frame members, said unit being easily assembled with other units of similar ,character by means of the detachable clamps 20.

Each end wall or end casing member 28 of a multi-cell generator of the type here illustrated, carries but one electrode member 11, and is most desirably provided with an outer wall 29 of good electrical conductivity welded or otherwise maintained in metallic contact therewith. Each of the frame members 14a at the opposite ends of the apparatus has its inner flange 131l secured as by weldingto an annular plate 30 which projects outwardly about as far as the flanges 15. This projecting portion of the plate 30, in conjunction with the corresponding outwardly extending portion of the plate 29 provides a pair of clamping flanges adapted to be engaged by the clamping devices 20,

whereby the end walls of the multi-cell unit are held rmly assembled with the intermediate members of the unit. The plate 30 is best insulated from the plate 28 by a suitable insulating and packing member 31.

A somewhat different arrangement also embodying the principles of the invention is shown in 3 and4, where the cell walls or electrode supporting members and diaphragms are held between cooperating pairs of flanges of double, flanged cell frames; vbut in this case the flanges 32 of the lframe members both project outwardly, and the specific form of the clamping devices is different from that above described. In this particular construction, the U-shaped clamping device, instead of being integral, comprises two separate jaw members 33, 34, having a rocking bearing or joint 35 at the outer ends thereof, while an adjusting bolt 36 passing'through one of said members and threading into the other, member 'provides means for moving the clamp members toward .or from'eachother. As here shown, the head of cooperating assembling flan es, of clampmeans extending around the a jacent edges of said flanges and holding them together.

2. In electrolytic apparatus, the combination, with a plurality of cell casing members having assembling llanges cooperating in pairs, of a plurality of removable clamps holding the anges of each pair together.

3. In electrolytic apparatus, the combination, with a plurality of cell casing members having assembling flanges cooperating in pairs, of a plurality of removable clamps holding the flanges of each pair together, and the clamps holding any pair of flanges being in staggered relation to those holding an adjacent pair of flanges..

4. In electrolytic apparatus, the combination, withA cell casing members having a pair of cooperating assembling langes, of U-shaped clamp means extending around the adjacent edges of said flanges and holding them together.

` 5. In electrolytic apparatus, the combination, with cell casing members having a plan of cooperating assembling flanges, of

-shaped driving clamps extending around the adjacent edges of said flanges and pressing on the non-adjacent faces thereof.

6. In electrolytic apparatus, the combination, with cell casing members having a pair of cooperating assembling anges, and msulating means interposed between said flanges, of clamp means extending around the adjacent flange edges and holding said flanges together.

7. In electrolytic apparatus, the combinaineens@ tion, with cell casing members having a pair of cooperating assembling anges, of clamp means extending around the adjacent edges of said flanges and holding them together, and means insulating said clamp means from said langes.

8. In electrolytic apparatus, the combination, with a plurality ofv annular cell frames having assembling flanges adapted to cooperate in pairs, end Walls, and a plurality of removable clamping devices engaging said Hanges and the margins of said end Walls to hold the same assembled into a complete cell structure, each said clamping device extending around the adjacent edges of the cooperating Hanges of a pair, or around the edges of an end Wall and a ilange of an .adjacent cell iframe.

9. iin electrolytic apparatus, the combination with cell casing members having assembling anges cooperating in pairs, of clamp means extending around the adjacent edges of the anges and holding them together, said clamp means comprising a unitary U-shaped body of resilient metal having approximately parallel inner clamping surfaces, the space between said surfaces narrowing slightly toward the open end of the U.

l0. ln electrolytic apparatus, the combination with cell casing members having assembling Hanges cooperating in pairs. ot clamp means extending around the adjacent edges of the flanges and holding them together, said clamp means comprising a unitary lll-shaped body ot resilient metal having approximately parallel inner clamping surfaces, the space between said surfaces narrowing slightly toward the open end of the U, there being an aperture in the clamp means to permit the entry of a tool for removing the clamp.

ll. ln eleetrolytic apparatus, the combination with cell casing members, each member having a flange thereon, the flanges of adjacent members cooperating one with the other, a clamp member engaging the flanges to hold them together, the engaging portions of the clamping member being capable of movement toward and away from each other.

ln testimony Whereoi l hereunto alx my signature.

G. ALLAN. 

